Bartholomule's Curse
by GoldenManekiNeko
Summary: The Cutiemark Crusaders are stalked by an angry spirit. Grimdark.
1. Chapter 1

Today was a day that the yellow, Earth-Pony Philly, known as, Apple Bloom had been waiting for months to arrive; today was the day that Ms. Cheerilee was going to take the whole class on a field trip to the Ponyville History Museum and no one was more excited about this day trip than Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom couldn't wait to learn more about the history of her hometown's culture and she could hardly contain her excitement as she and the rest of the class followed Ms. Cheerilee down the small, cobblestone path that lead to the museum.

"Gee, Apple Bloom, calm down; we're just going to some boring museum for the day. That's hardly anything to get excited about..." Apple Bloom's friend, Scootaloo commented as she watched her friend excitedly bounce along the pathway, like the infamous Party Planner, Pinkie Pie would do.

"Borin'?! This field trip is gone be anything but borin'! We're all gone learn about the history of our home town! Ain'tcha excited to learn about your ancestors?" Apple Bloom questioned.

"I-I guess..." Apple Bloom's other friend, Sweetiebelle replied in an attempt to be polite.

"No, not really..." Scootaloo honestly but bluntly replied, earning a glare from Apple Bloom and a worried frown from Sweetiebelle.

"Here we are class; the Ponyville History Museum!" Cheerilee announced as the class had finally arrived at the museum. Apple Bloom could hardly contain her excitement as she drowned out the boring lecture from her teacher not to get separated from the group. Apple Bloom listened intently as Cheerily explained the history of the Princesses, the famous Wizard, known as, Starswirl The Bearded and even the Apple Family's ancestry. Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle, however were struggling to stay awake through the boring history lectures until something caught Scootaloo's attention out of the corner of her eye. Standing on a large stand in the very middle of the museum, surrounded by red, velvet ropes to protect it from physical harm and possible damage was what looked to be a stuffed hybrid between a Earth-Colt and a Donkey though it was hard to tell for sure because of the old-fashion body coat it was wearing that covered it's face and body. From the parts of its body that were visible, Scootaloo could make out its dark, blue-grey coat, its elongated, Donkey-like ears and its piercing-blue eyes that seemed to stare right into her soul.

The orange, Pegasus Philly nudged both of her friends to get their attention and once it was earned she pointed a hoof over to the strange, crudely-stuffed being.

"Who's that?" Sweetiebelle wondered out loud as the group of Phillies cautiously approached the being, staring up at it in awe.

"Says here that his name's Bartholomule..." Apple Bloom pointed out as she read the plaque on the stuffed being's stand.

"Ah! Yes, Bartholomule used to be a cart puller many Moons ago. His father was a Earth-Pony and his mother was a Donkey so that made him a Mule. Back then this kind of interspecies relationship was uncommon so Bartholomule was often mocked and viewed as a mistake by the citizens. Because he felt so ashamed of his heritage, he would hide his face underneath a body cover. The only job he could get because of his heritage and unusual appearance was a job pulling Ponies to and from places in carts.

One day, a Pegasus Pony known as, Firefly was being particularly rude to him while he was pulling her to Ponyville's very-first Grand Galloping Galla. She never arrived at the Galla that night and she never returned home so a search party was conducted. Firefly's body was found with her skull smashed apart. She had been struck from behind and the town knew who was to blame for the murder. The town formed an angry mob and hunted down Bartholomule. Bartholomule was hung and stuffed by the townsfolk and used as a store decoration for centuries until his body was finally donated to this, very museum.

Legend has it that because Bartholomule's body was never put to rest, his spirit still walks the Earth, seeking revenge on those that were responsible for his death, but that's just an old Pony's Tale." Cheerilee happily explained the Mule's origins to the Cutiemark Crusaders as they listened in awe, horror and disgust.

"Finally! Something cool in this museum!" Scootaloo cheered. Apple Bloom and Sweetiebelle rolled their eyes and their friend's display of excitement. Of course something morbid would capture Scootaloo's interest.

"Come along class!" Cheeriley called out as the herd of Phillies followed her to the next display. The Cutiemark Crusaders ignored her however as they continued to stare up at the stuffed Mule that was towering over them.

"D-Do you think he really murdered that poor Pegasus?" Sweetiebelle gulped.

"Well, ifen he did, the monster's dead now and he can't hurt Anypony else..." Apple Bloom reassured.

"Yeah! He ain't so tough! Oo! Look at me! I'm Barf-olomule!

I'm a weird hybrid! My mother was a Donkey! I killed a Pegasus just for for being rude because I'm a coat-wearing weirdo!" Scootaloo began to mock the stuffed Mule, much to her friends' horror.

"Scootaloo, whata ya doin'?! That's disrespectful!" Apple Bloom scolded.

"You're gonna make him mad!" Sweetiebelle cried.

"Relax, guys; he's dead, he can't hurt us!" Scootaloo pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that..." Sweetiebelle grinned as she began to join in on Scootaloo's harsh mocking.

"W-Well, I reckon he does deserve it..." Apple Bloom hesitantly agreed, before giving into peer pressure and joining her friends. The three Phillies stopped their mocking, however when the air around them began to feel thick.

"H-Hey, does Anypony feel like Somepony's watchin' them?" Apple Bloom broke the eery silence with a fearful squeak as the Cutiemark Crusaders began to scan their surroundings. It was then that Apple Bloom had fallen to the ground once she felt a pair of large but invisible hooves come in contact with her face.

"Alright! I got kicked in the face! I got kicked in the face!" Apple Bloom panicked as her friends rushed over to help her up. Once Apple Bloom was back on her hooves, the Cutiemark Crusaders scrambled out of the Mule's display area as quickly as they could and back over to the group. Little did they know that this was not the end of their paranormal problems.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Nightmare Begins

As the day progressed, Apple Bloom was too paranoid to focus on the rest of the field trip's tour. She had just been kicked in the face by an unseen force and now she constantly felt as if she were being watched or followed. To make matters worse, she had two Horseshoe-shaped bruises on her cheeks that made her face swell slightly, but when her family asked her about this, she simply told them that she had accidentally ran into a display statue of a running Stallion while playing with her friends. Even when she had made it home for the night, Apple Bloom still felt as if she were being watched and followed. She kept seeing large shadows move around the house out of the corner of her eye and feeling a hot, moist breath snort onto the back of her neck. She just brushed these incidences off as her mind playing tricks on her, though.

After the young Philly had finished dinner and brushed her teeth, she removed her hair ribbon, setting it onto her nightstand, before climbing into her bed and making herself comfortable.

"Gol-ly...Today sure has been a long day, today..." She yawned as she rolled over in her bed, now facing the door. She was about to close her eyes when she saw the large shadow of a Colt clopping down the hallway, toward her bedroom.

"Big Mac?" Apple Bloom questioned, thinking it was her older brother coming to check on her. The figure stopped in its tracks, however and just stood there, staring at her door. Apple Bloom shrugged, just thinking it was Big Macintosh just being his concerned self and rolled over onto her back. She slowly began to close her eyes but they quickly shot back open when she felt the weight of a full-grown Colt pounce onto her and pin her small, frail body down to her own bed.

Apple Bloom was horrified to see a large Colt, wearing a full-body cover with elongated, Donkey-like ears and piercing-blue eyes that seemed to glare right through her soul standing on top of her and pinning her down to her own bed. Apple Bloom struggled to get free as this transparent Mule began to nay and whinny aggressively into her face, spit splattering all over her as he did so, but he was too strong and too heavy to get away from. She tried to scream but no sound could escape her vocal cords, she was completely helpless. She watched in horror as this ghostly creature continued to make a mix of both Pony and Donkey-like noises. She soon began to hear the sound of blood splattering and bones cracking along with this creature's horrifying noises. Tears streamed down the poor, helpless Philly's cheeks as she silently prayed that one of her family members would hear all of the horrifying noises that this creature was making, but nobody came to her aid.

Apple Bloom was helplessly trapped by this horrifying-sight, not getting even a few minutes of sleep until the morning had arrived. As the sunlight spilled into the bedroom from Apple Bloom's window, the angry, Mule spirit slowly faded a way and Apple Bloom was now free to move. The first thing she did was run into her older sister, Apple Jack's room, crying hysterically.

"Apple Bloom?" Apple jack groggily yawned once her younger sister had leapt into bed with her, trembling and clinging to her for dear life.

"What happened to you?" Apple Jack asked the crying Philly in concern.

"Y-Ya didn't hear it?" Apple Bloom sniffled.

"Hear what?" Apple Jack questioned with a brow raised slightly in both confusion and slight suspicion. Apple Bloom told her everything that had just happened to her, expecting her older sister to do something to help her.

"You're not gettin' outta goin' to school..." Was the only reply she had gotten from her older sister. School? Apple Bloom was genuinely terrified and upset, and this was the only thing her older sister was concerned about?

"Apple Jack, did ya even hear what I just told ya?!" Apple Bloom complained.

"Aw, of course I did, sugar-cube; it was just a bad dream, okay? Now, let's get ya ready for school." Apple Jack reassured as she placed a hoof on her younger sister's shoulder. Maybe Apple Jack was right, maybe it was just a bad dream after all, but then why was it so vivid? Why did it all seem so real?

So Apple Bloom headed off to school, just barely awake as she trudged around like a zombie all day and had even fallen asleep in class a few times. Her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle were beginning to grow concerned when lunch time had come around, and Apple Bloom had fallen asleep yet again but this time with her face in her plate-full of oats.

"Are you okay, Apple Bloom?" Sweetiebelle finally decided to ask. Apple Bloom slowly lifted her head from her lunch tray, her face now completely covered in oats as she let out a small yawn.

"Yeah, I just didn't get very much sleep last night; I kept havin' weird dreams..." The Earth-Pony Philly replied as she rubbed the crust from her fall-colored eyes.

"What about?" Scootaloo asked curiously as she and Sweetiebelle stared at their friend in concern. Apple Bloom told them everything that had happened to her the night before; Sweetiebelle appeared to be horrified by the story but Scootaloo was thoroughly intrigued.

"D-Do you think you might be haunted by the ghost of Bartholomule?" Sweetiebelle gulped.

"I-I dunno; I tried to tell Apple Jack about it, but she didn't care, just told me it was just a 'bad dream'..." Apple Bloom sighed.

"Well then, why don't we take matters into our own hooves?" Scootaloo asked with a mischievous smirk as she rubbed her fore-hooves together sinisterly.

"Whata ya mean?" Apple Bloom asked curiously. At this point, she was desperate to receive some sort of help, even from one of Scootaloo's twisted ideas so she at least wouldn't feel so alone in this situation.

"I mean why don't we all meet up at your house after school and try to contact this ghost?" Scootaloo suggested.

"How do ya suppose we do that?" Apple Bloom questioned skeptically.

"Well, I got this thing called, a 'Ouija Board' for my Birthday, and it's used to contact the spirits of dead Ponies." Scootaloo explained.

"This doesn't sound like a good idea..." Sweetiebelle whimpered fearfully.

"Let's do it!" Apple Bloom agreed with a look of determination. Anything so she could get both some answers and a good night's rest.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Message From Beyond The Board

Later in the day, once school had finished, the Cutiemark Crusaders all met up at Apple Bloom's farm house, Scootaloo bringing her Ouija board as promised and Sweetiebelle bringing a few of her older sister, Rarity's scented candles as instructed by Scootaloo for the ritual.

"They're scented; I hope that's okay..." Sweetiebelle worried as she used the Unicorn magic from her horn to light the candles.

"I'm sure they'll be fine; the instructions say that ya can only light the room with candles; didn't say they couldn't be scented." Scootaloo reassured as she and Apple Bloom set up the game. Once everything was set up, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo sat across the board from each other with their hooves placed onto the Planchette in between them. Sweetiebelle, however stood aside with a quill and a few scrolls to write down the letters that the board would point to so she could read out what they spelled.

"Why do I have to be the Scribe again?" Sweetiebelle questioned with a slight whine.

"Because, you're a Unicorn; it'll be easier for you to write the words down quickly with your magic than it will for one of us to write with our mouths..." Scootaloo explained, before she and Apple Bloom began to move the Planchette in circular motions around the board to activate it.

"Are there any spirits here that would like to speak to us, tonight?" Scootaloo was the first to ask a question. The Planchette quickly shot up to the word, 'yes'. Apple Bloom was already beginning to feel uneasy as that familiar thickness was beginning to return to the air around her, but she needed answers.

"Are ya the ghost of Bartholomule?" Apple Bloom decided to ask. The Planchette frantically shot over to the word, 'no' much to the Cutiemark Crusaders confusion.

"Then who are ya?" Apple Bloom questioned with a raised eyebrow. Sweetiebelle jotted down the letters that the board had spelt out as quickly as she could and she was absolutely stunned by what the letters had spelled out.

"Firefly..." She gasped much to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom's horror. Firefly was the Pegasus-Pony that was supposedly brutally-murdered by Bartholomule, but then why was she haunting Apple Bloom?

"If ya look through the Planchette's looking-glass, you'll be able to see the spirit." Scootaloo piped up as Apple Bloom took the Planchette in between her fore-hooves and held it up to her eye. She wanted to see if the spirit talking to them really was indeed Firefly and not Bartholomule trying to manipulate them. She dropped the Planchette back down onto the board, however when she caught sight of a pastel-pink Pegasus with her head completely smashed apart. Blood and brains leaked down what was left of her face, quite a few of her teeth were missing, causing her tongue to hang out and one of her eyeballs was loosely hanging by its cord from its socket.

"What happened?! What'd ya see?!" Scootaloo asked out of both excitement and concern.

"That's Firefly, alright..." Was Apple Bloom's only response as she placed her hooves back onto the Planchette.

"Are ya the spirit that's hauntin' me?" Apple Bloom decided to ask, next. The Planchette moved to, 'no'.

"Do ya know who is?" Apple Bloom asked again. The board began to spell out something else as Sweetiebelle quickly began to jot down the letters once again.

"Bartholomule..." Sweetiebelle whimpered as she fearfully backed away from the scroll.

"What does he want from me?!" Apple Bloom demanded. The board began to frantically spell something else out as Sweetiebelle rushed to write everything down.

"What's it say?!" Apple Bloom impatiently questioned, wanting to get to the bottom of things once and for all.

"It says, 'he's coming...please go'..." Sweetiebelle whimpered at the two sentences that the board had just spelled out. She had never felt so terrified in all of her life.

"Did Bartholomule kill ya?" Scootaloo decided to ask an unrelated question much to Apple Bloom's annoyance. The board began to spell something else out and Sweetiebelle's heart dropped into her stomach once she saw what the letters had spelled out.

"He's here..." She gulped. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged worried glances as Apple Bloom took the Planchette back in between her fore-hooves and held it up to her face to look through it. She saw Firefly's spirit once again, but this time she was frantically pointing off to the side with one of her fore-hooves. Apple Bloom slowly turned both her head and the Planchette toward the direction that Firefly was pointing in but was utterly horrified when a large Colt-like spirit with a full-body cover and elongated, Donkey-like ears came charging toward her aggressively, whinnying violently all the while.

Apple Bloom was knocked down onto her back, causing her to drop the Planchette back onto the board.

"Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle cried out in unison as they rushed over to their best friend's aid.

"Are you okay?!" Sweetiebelle panicked as Scootaloo helped Apple Bloom back up onto her hooves.

"Yeah, I'm fine but I think somethin' bit me..." Apple Bloom groaned as she reached a hoof up to gently feel the Horse-teeth-shaped bite marks on her left cheek. The Cutiemark Crusaders glanced back over to the board as it rapidly began spelling something out on its own, without any of the Phillies touching it.

"Quick! What's it saying?!" Scootaloo ordered as Sweetiebelle quickly took up her quill and a scroll to write down the letters that the board was spelling out.

"I'm gonna kill ya?!" Sweetiebelle gasped in horror at what the letters had spelled out. The three Phillies then screamed in terror as the Planchette was sent flying from the board and smashed onto the wall, behind them. A mysterious breeze then blew out the scented candles, leaving all three of the Phllies in complete darkness. Apple Bloom struggled to open her bedroom door so she and her friends could escaped, but it wouldn't open. It was as if the weight of a full-grown Colt were pressing up against it.

"Apple Jack!" Apple Bloom cried out desperately as an evil, sickening laughter began to fill the room. Much to the three Phillies' relief though, the door flew open, causing them to all three fall to the floor.

"Apple Bloom?! What's goin' on?" Apple Jack questioned worriedly as the three Phillies clung to her forelegs. It was then that she noticed the Ouija board on her younger sister's bedroom floor.

"Oh, so this is what ya'll were doin'...Apple Bloom, I'm surprised at you; I thought we raised ya better than that..." Apple Jack scolded as she angrily stormed past the three Phillies and took up the board into her mouth. Apple Jack then brought the board over to the fire place in her living room.

"Apple Jack, no! The instructions say ya can't burn the board!" Scootaloo warned as she clung to Apple Jack's hind-leg in an attempt to stop her.

"Watch me..." Was Apple Jack's only response, before stubbornly tossing the board into the fire. She stepped back, however when the fire flared up, nearly bursting out of the fireplace itself, the fire turning an eery color that neither Apple Jack or any of the Cutiemark Crusaders had ever seen before, but as quickly as the fire had flared up, it calmed back down and returned to normal.

"Well, that was weird..." Apple Jack noted. Apple Bloom just knew that she wasn't going to sleep very well that night; she would have to ask Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle to spend the night with her that night.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Death In The Family

"Do you think we're safe here?" Sweetiebelle whimpered as she and her friends set up their sleeping-bags in the Apple Family's living room. There was no way they were going to sleep in Apple Bloom's bedroom after what they had just encountered.

"I don't know; the instructions say if ya burn the board, the spirits will get even stronger..." Scootaloo sighed.

"Well, this oughtta be a fun night..." Apple Bloom grunted sarcastically in annoyance as she climbed into her sleeping-bag. The Cutiemark Crusaders all closed their eyes to go to sleep but they were constantly awoken by the sound of hoof-steps echoing throughout the house.

"It's prob'ly Big Mac, Apple Jack or Granny gettin' up to use the bathroom..." Apple Bloom reassured herself and her friends just so they could get a goodnight's rest. The fifth time they were awoken however, it was three A.M., an hour known to most Ponies as the Nightmare Hour and this time, the Cutiemark Crusaders heard a different, much-more, terrifying noise.

"Let me in...IIInnn...Let me in..." Groaned the deformed spirit of Firefly from outside as she tapped on the window with her fore-hoof.

"No! Go away!" Apple Bloom snapped as she pulled her pillow over her head. She didn't just feel that Firefly wanted to get into her house, she felt that Firefly wanted to get into her soul and take over her body for her own and there was no way she was going to let that happen, murder victim or not, the ghostly-Mare was not welcome in her home. Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle too heard the Mare's distorted pleas, but Scootaloo just decided to try to ignore them all and Sweetiebelle decided to hide within the imaginary-safety of her sleeping-bag.

Some time went by before the ghostly-noises had finally stopped and Apple Bloom now felt safe enough to actually try to get some sleep.

"Finally..." The Earth-Philly yawned as she rolled over onto her back. Her tired eyes widened into a look of horror however, when she noticed the intimidating spirit of Bartholomule floating over her bed with wide, wild eyes. Clutched close to his chest within his fore-hooves was the crochet blanket that Granny Smith usually kept on the couch as he slowly lifted it up over Apple Bloom's head, in an attempt to smother her. Apple Bloom let out a small shriek and zipped herself up within her sleeping-bag, shivering with terror as she silently prayed for morning to finally arrive.

Meanwhile, Granny Smith had awoken in the middle of the night to get a glass of apple juice for her dry throat. As she turned on the light upon entering the kitchen, The pale-green, elderly, Earth-Pony was unaware of the sinister reflection of Bartholomule in the metal awning above the oven, watching her intently, before disappearing within seconds. Granny Smith poured herself a glass of apple juice and turned off the kitchen light, before beginning to head back to her bedroom. As she made her way down the darkened corridor, she stopped in her tracks when she could have sworn that she heard the faint sound of a Colt moaning in pain. She turned around to face the source of the noise and her eyes widened with horror at the sight. There was a Colt with Donkey-like ears and a full-body cover hanging upside-down from the ceiling like a bat slowly making his way over to her with his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his fore-hooves outstretched in front of him.

Granny Smith let out a blood-curdling scream, causing her to drop her glass of apple juice onto the floor, the glass shattering upon impact. This somehow went unheard by the rest of her family members as she attempted to run away from the ghostly-figure. She tripped inches away from her own bedroom-door however, and let out yet another shriek of terror as she was dragged down the hallway by her hind-legs. The next day, Apple Bloom now felt safe enough to emerge from her sleeping-bag with a tired yawn and bags underneath her fall-colored eyes.

"What a night..." She groaned as her two friends emerged from their sleeping bags as well, appearing equally as tired and disheveled.

"I reckon ya'll didn't get much sleep last night either, huh?" Apple Bloom yawned.

"How could we?" Scootaloo snapped, inpatient from the amount of tiredness she was feeling. The three fillies were just glad that it was currently a weekend. The Cutiemark Crusaders' conversation was interrupted however, by the horrified shriek of Apple Jack. The three friends ran toward the area that the screams were emanating from but their paths were blocked by Apple Jack and Apple Bloom's older brother, Big Macintosh.

"Ya'll go play outside, now; this ain't somethin' you three oughtta be exposed to..." The red Earth-Colt frowned as he gently began nudging the three Phillies away from the hallway.

"What's goin' on, Big Mac?" Apple Bloom questioned curiously as she leaned over to look past him. Her eyes widened with shock and terror at the sight of Apple Jack crying over the body of what was once Granny Smith, but this wasn't the worst part; the worst part was the look on her Grandmother's face as it was contorted into a horrified and pained scream.

"G-Granny?!" Apple Bloom sobbed as she and her friends were quickly shoved outside by the sympathetic Big Mac. Apple Bloom was unable to speak or even think straight. The ambulance showing up in her front yard were a blur along with everything else in the world around her as all she could bring herself to do was cry, uncontrollably. Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle tried their best to console her as her Grandmother's body was removed from the property and escorted to the nearest funeral home.

Even after night had fallen and her friends had already left because of how late it was, the traumatized Apple Bloom hadn't moved from her spot on the front porch as she just laid there, sobbing softly to herself. Apple Jack slowly made her way outside and laid down next to her younger sister, staring down at her in concern.

"You okay, sugar-cube?" She questioned softly, but Apple Bloom didn't respond. Of course she wasn't okay; she had just lost her Grandmother.

"W-What happened?" She finally managed to squeak out.

"Well, the ambulance said that...Granny just had herself a massive heart-attack...That kinda thing's normal with older ponies..." Apple Jack sighed, on the verge of tears again herself.

"C-C'mon inside; I'll make ya some cider..." Apple Jack offered as she lead her younger sister back inside.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. The Premonition

It was fairly late at night as Scootaloo strolled through the streets of Ponyville. She just could stop thinking of the sight of her best friend, Apple Bloom's dead-grandmother and that horrifying-look on her face as it contorted into a twisted, permemant scream of pain and terror.

"Hey there, squirt! Whatcha ya doin' out here so late?" Scootaloo's thoughts were interrupted by her idol, Rainbow Dash as she swooped down and perfectly landed on the ground, in front of her.

"I needed some time to think..." Scootaloo replied with a sigh as she tried to mask her inner-trauma with a mask of false-strength in an attempt to impress her idol.

"Still bummed about what happened to Granny Smith, eh? I tell ya what; why don'tcha come over to my house for some hot, apple-cider?" Rainbow Dash offered.

"Sure, that sounds great." Scootaloo agreed with a small-smile, before Rainbow Dash lifted her into the air and flew toward her house with Scootaloo in her fore-hooves. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom did not have a very difficult time falling asleep that night, after having been worn out by the turmoil-filled day that she had just experienced. Despite how easily she was able to fall asleep however, this did not guarantee that she had pleasant dreams. Apple Bloom dreamed that she was standing out in the middle of a forest.

When she looked behind her however, she took notice to the fact that she was strapped to an old pull-cart that a familiar, pink and blue Pegasus was sitting inside of.

"Well, that's just great! Look whatcha did now, ya stupid-Mule!" Firefly complained as she suddenly disappeared from the cart and reappeared next to it, staring at the cart's broken-wheel. Apple Bloom no longer had control of her own body as she slowly began to approach the pink-Pegasus. She slowly began to turn around, before raring back and delivering a harsh, unexpected-kick to the back of Firefly's head, smashing her face up against the cart.

Apple Bloom did not stop there, however as she continued to kick the back of Firefly's head with her hind-legs a few more times. Her back-hooves completely smashed Firefly's skull as blood splattered all over her hindquarters. Once this action had been completed, Apple Bloom made her way over to a nearby-lake where she stared down at her reflection. The reflection staring back up at her from the lake, however was not her own as she saw the face of none-other than Bartholomule staring back up at her. With a Horse-like whinny and a Donkey-like nay, Bartholomule's reflection emerged from the water, suddenly grabbing ahold of Apple Bloom with his fore-hooves and dragging her to the bottom of the lake with him.

Apple Bloom seemingly awoke with a gasp, only to notice that she was now in a dark-room, surrounded by fog. Apple Bloom looked around when she took notice of a large, eery portrait of the Pony who's head she had just smashed on the wall, above her as the pink and blue Pegasus seemed to glare down at her in disapproval.

"Hey, who's that?" Scootaloo asked once she had taken notice of the exact-same portrait from Apple Bloom's dreams hanging on the wall of Rainbow Dash's kitchen.

"Oh, that's my great grandmother, Firefly. She was brutally murdered by some upity-Mule that snuck up on her and attacked her from behind. What an unfair-advantage...I like to hang up her portrait on the anniversary she was murdered on..." Rainbow Dash explained bitterly as she stared up at the portrait, along with Scootaloo.

"That's horrible...What happened to her and all..." Scootaloo muttered as the memories of all of the horrible things that Bartholomule's spirit and done to her and her friends had begun to flash through her mind.

"Yeah...It really is...Good thing the jerk's dead now, though..." Rainbow Dash snarled, before returning to the stove to tend to the cider. Scootaloo took a few steps closer to the painting, staring up at it intently as she took a seat on the floor.

The longer Scootaloo stared up at the portrait, the more Firefly's eyes seemed to glare right into her soul and become more-realistic. The minute Scootaloo blinked, the portrait of Firefly changed drastically as Firefly now had sunken-in, black-eyes and a gaping-mouth that draped open further than any Pony could ever open their mouths. The orange, Pegasus-Philly blinked a few more times and shook her head in disbelief, before glancing back up at the now-normal portrait. Scootaloo figured that she must have been so tired from the lack of sleep she had received from Apple Bloom's sleepover that she was beginning to hallucinate. She continued to stare up at the portrait, however as it seemed to hold some sort of trance over her.

Meanwhile, in Apple Bloom's dream, the pale-yellow Philly attempted to gallop out of the room she was in when the door suddenly slammed shut, trapping her within the room.

"Somepony help me! Anypony!" She shouted as she pounded on the door with her hooves. Scootaloo heard a pounding noise at Rainbow Dash's front-door, almost as if it were being struck by hail. The orange Pegasus-Philly peered out of Rainbow Dash's kitchen-window, only to see the horrifying-sight of a large Colt with Donkey-like ears, wearing a full-body cover standing in Rainbow Dash's front-yard.

Scootaloo rubbed her eyes in disbelief as it was impossible for any Pony other than a Pegasus to be able to stand on a cloud but here this Mule was, staring directly into her soul.

"Hey, um...Rainbow Dash? Have you ever noticed anything weird going on, around here?" Scootaloo asked as she briefly turned to look over at her idol.

"Is this about Granny Smith bitin' the dust? Listen squirt, Everypony dies eventually, especially when they're as old as Granny was..." Rainbow Dash explained as Scootaloo looked back over to the window, but when she looked back outside, Bartholomule was no longer standing there.

"It's not that..." Scootaloo replied with a worried-expression.

"Whata ya mean?" Rainbow Dash questioned as she put the finishing-touches on hers and Scootaloo's apple-cider.

"I dunno; it's just the weirdest, weirdest thing...It seems like everywhere I go, I just..." Scootaloo began.

"You what?" Rainbow Dash pursued. Meanwhile, in Apple Bloom's dream, Apple Bloom was still pounding her fore-hooves against the door when she noticed the shadow of a large Colt with Donkey-Like ears walking along the wall even though there was no other Ponies in the room with her. Apple Bloom watched in horror as the shadow of the Mule made its way over to the portrait of Firefly. Once the Mule's shadow was behind the portrait, it slowly turned to face Apple Bloom.

Two, large, blue-grey hooves slowly began to emerge from behind Firefly's portrait, before wrapping around themselves around it. The full-body of a Mule wearing a full-body cover then emerged from the wall as well, charging at Apple Bloom as it kept the portrait of Firefly over its face. The face of Firefly that was in the portrait, however opened its mouth to let out the shrill-whinny of a Pony, followed by the piercing-nay of a Donkey with an angered-glare. Meanwhile, back at Rainbow Dash's house, The portrait of Firefly suddenly flew from the wall and smacked Rainbow Dash in the back of her head, rendering her unconscious.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cried. Realizing that there was nothing she could do, the orange, Pegasus-Philly was quick to exit her idol's house to get help as she quickly galloped into Rainbow Dash's front-yard. The orange-Pegasus did not make it far, however as she was harshly reminded of the fact that Rainbow Dash's house was located several feet above ground. Scootaloo peered down from the edge of Rainbow Dash's cloudy, front-yard as she contemplated a way to get down without hurting herself since she could not fly.

When Apple Bloom had climbed her way out of the wreckage that had ensued as a result of Bartholomule's attack against her, she had noticed that she was now outside of the house she was just in a moment ago.

"Hey, ain't that Rainbow Dash's house?" Apple Bloom noted once she had gotten a better look at the outside of the house. She then looked ahead of her to see one of her best friends, Scootaloo standing in front of her, staring into her soul with an emotionless-gaze.

"Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom questioned as she took a few steps closer to her friend.

"Apple Bloom...I'm sorry..." Scootaloo murmured, before Bartholomule appeared in between her and Apple Bloom. He glared down at the pale-yellow, Earth Pony menacingly, before raring back and using the strength of his hind-legs to kick Scootaloo from the edge of Rainbow Dash's front yard. The real Scootaloo had also felt the force of Bartholomule's kick as she was sent flying from the edge of her idol's front-yard as well.

Scootaloo desperately fluttered her under-grown wings in an attempt to save herself but it was no use as she was impaled by a sharpened, tree-trunk, ending her life along with Apple Bloom's nightmare. The pale-yellow Earth Philly had awoken from her nightmare in a cold sweat. She was relieved that what she had just witnessed had only been a dream but she was also unnerved by how vivid and realistic the dream felt. Exhausted, the Philly promptly shrugged off her feelings, before falling back into a deep slumber.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Exorcism of Sweeitebelle

"Man, what a night..." Apple Bloom groaned as she groggily sat up in her bed. There were bags under her fall-colored eyes and her magenta-mane was disheveled.

"That was some crazy dream...Last time I have Apple Cider before bed..." Apple Bloom groaned before exiting her bedroom. When she had entered the living-room, Apple Jack, Big Mac and Sweeitebelle were all waiting for her along with the rest of the Mane Six, minus Rainbow Dash that is.

"What's goin' on out here?" Apple Bloom questioned.

"I'm afraid we've got some bad news, sugar-cube..." Apple Jack began with tear-filled eyes.

"Your little friend, Scootaloo's had a horrible accident..." Twilight continued from where Apple Jack had left off.

"What kinda accident?" Apple Bloom questioned, already fearing the worst.

"Well, you see, dear? Your little friend was found...how should I put this?" Rarity trailed off.

"She was impaled by a sharp tree!" Pinkie Pie over-enthusiastically shouted.

"WHAT?! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENIN'!" Apple Bloom Shrieked.

"Well, that's not exactly the way we wanted to tell you but we think that Rainbow Dash may have been responsible..." Twilight proceeded.

"Rainbow Dash?!" Apple Bloom questioned.

"Yeah, fell asleep and nearly let her own house burn down...Scootaloo musta tried to fly away but couldn't...We figured she musta had one-too many Ciders..." Apple Jack explained.

"Well, I for one am just glad that slacker finally got what she deserved! I would absolutely hate it, if that were my sister, Sweetiebelle under her negligent-care!" Rarity scoffed.

"But it wasn't Rainbow Dash's fault!" Apple Bloom suddenly shouted.

"Whata ya mean, sugar-cube?" Apple Jack questioned in concern.

"It was Bartholomule! He's an evil spirit that wants revenge on us all for makin' fun of him!" Apple Bloom frantically explained.

"Not this again...Apple Bloom, there are no-such things as spooks!" Apple Jack rolled her eyes.

"An evil spirit, you say?! Come, Sweetiebelle! We must seek protection!" Rarity panicked before using her Unicorn-magic to drag Sweetiebelle out of Apple Jack's home. Normally, the younger Unicorn would question her older sister's motives but with Everypony dropping dead around her, she figured that seeking protection was in her best interest.

Apple Jack merely rolled her eyes at Rarity's overdramatic display as the rest of the remaining Mane Six exited her home to attend Scootaloo's funeral.

"Get ready; the funeral's in an hour..." Apple Jack instructed before heading toward her bedroom to get ready.

"Big Mac, you believe me, don'tcha?" Apple Bloom looked to her older brother for support.

"Nope..." Big Mac responded nonchalantly before heading toward his own bedroom to get ready as well.

Apple Bloom's ears drooped in disappointment and anxiety as she headed toward her bedroom to get ready as well. While the remaining Apple Family members prepared for Scootaloo's funeral, Rarity took the drastic measures of dragging Sweetiebelle to Zecora's hut, in hopes of finding a way to protect her from evil spirits. As Zecora began her vain chant of protection over Sweetiebelle, the white, Unicorn Philly took notice to the masks that were hanging on Zecora's walls as their original, blank expressions twisted into horrifying expressions of malice. A worm even crawled out of the mouth of one of them. Zecora stopped her chant with a gasp when Sweetiebelle had suddenly began to float.

Before the white, Unicorn Philly even had a chance to ask questions, she felt a pressure on her windpipe as the indention of a large, horseshoe print began to visibly show on her neck.

"SWEETIEBELL!" Rarity tearfully shrieked as she helplessly watched her younger sister be choked to death, right in front of her. Once the life had left Sweetiebelle, her corpse fell to the ground and the horseshoe-indentation on her neck disappeared. Meanwhile, having had enough of the sadness of Scootaloo's funeral, Big Mac decided to explore the funeral parlor. The large, red Colt stopped to admire a grandfather-clock that decorated the lobby but his eyes widened once he had taken notice to his reflection.

Standing behind him, in his reflection on the glass-door of the grandfather-clock, was a large Colt with Donkey-like ears that was wearing a full-body cover. Big Mac turned sharply to face the ghostly-being as the face-portion of the cover lifted ever-so-slightly to reveal the Mule's blue-grey lips. The ghostly-Mule then leaned in to deliver a soft, sweet kiss to Big Mac's lips, much to the red Colt's surprise. Big Mac took a few steps back as his veins began to bulge. The red Colt wailed in agony but was unheard by the other Ponies that were attending the funeral as he turned into pure air that was then sucked into Bartholomule's still-exposed mouth.

Bartholomule's still-exposed lips grinned sinisterly as the his fur began to transform from blue-grey to red and his ears began to decrease in length. The Mule then removed his full-body coat to reveal that he now took on the appearance of Apple Bloom's older brother, Big Mac.

"This is worse than I feared..." Zecora frowned as she watched Sweetiebelle's corpse disappear into nothing.

"What is it?" Rarity questioned, her eyes widening in shock at the sight as well.

"We are not dealing with an evil spirit but an angry spirit that was never laid to rest..." Zecora explained.

"B-Bartholomule..." Rarity squeaked upon remembering her Great Aunt Buttons recounting the tale of Firefly's death to her.

"Bartholomule?" Zecora's eyes widened at the mention of the infamous-name as she turned her back to Rarity.

"He cannot be killed...If his body is not put to rest soon, he will kill and consume all those who were involved with the desecration of his remains, including their ancestors..." Zecora explained as Rarity quickly exited her hut to gain the assistance of her friend, Twilight.

"Oh, there ya are, Big Mac." Apple Jack gained the attention of her brother's imposter once Scootaloo's funeral had ended.

"We're 'bout ready to head out so you can go ahead and get the cart ready so you can take us home." Apple Jack explained as the being that she thought was her older brother flashed her a death-glare. Years of constantly having to pull a cart for ungrateful-Ponies had eventually lead up to his death so naturally, Bartholomule was experiencing some post-traumatic, stress from the idea of having to revert back to his old job.

"Um...Okay? I'll handle it then..." Apple Jack raised an eyebrow in confusion before exiting the building with Apple Bloom.

"Apple Jack, I have to go to the bathroom..." Apple Bloom wined.

"Alright sugar-cube, just be careful in there; I don't like the looks of them undertakers, in there..." Apple Jack dismissed her younger-sister as the pale-yellow Philly rushed back into the funeral home. Apple Bloom cautiously made her way through the darkened, abandoned, funeral home when she took notice to an unusual sight out of the corner of her eye. The pale-yellow Philly gasped in shock at the sight of who she thought was her older brother swallowing the corpse of her deceased, best friend, whole. Apple Bloom shrieked in terror, gaining the attention of Bartholomule as he abruptly began to charge toward her.

Apple Bloom ran out of the funeral parlor as quickly as her little legs could carry her, clinging to Apple Jack's hind-leg the second her hooves had reached the walkway that was out, front.

"Apple Bloom? What in the Sam-heck's gotten into you?" Apple Jack questioned.

"Ready to go?" Bartholomule interjected with a smirk before Apple Bloom even had a chance to reply as he hooked up his harness. Apple Jack merely nodded as she hopped into the carriage. Apple Bloom reluctantly followed close, behind her.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Just The Way Things Were Back Then

"I see..." Twilight Sparkle's mother, Twilight Velvet sighed regretfully once Twilight and Rarity had explained their current situation to her.

"I thought this was over a long time ago...After Firefly was murdered, Bartholomule was hung for his crimes but after that, several, mysterious murders occurred...the rest of my friends: Surprise, Posy, Buttons and Apple Jack Senior all died mysterious, horrific deaths...We were all horrible to Bartholomule, the whole town was but donkeys weren't viewed as equals back then, they were merely farm-slaves and a pony breeding with one was unheard of...That's just the way things were back then...

Princess Celestia used The Elements of Harmony to put him to rest but I don't think his spirit ever truly left...I think he just lied dormant for all these years...Something must have reawakened him..." Velvet shamefully retold her story as she sincerely regretted the way she had treated Bartholomule, due to peer pressure.

"Well, how do we put him back to rest?! Rainbow Dash was murdered in prison! We're short an Element!" Twilight frantically explained her current dilemma.

"I think the only, true way to put him to rest once and for all is to give his body a proper burial..." Velvet speculated, remembering that Bartholomule's body had been stuffed and was currently on display in the Ponyville History Museum. Twilight sighed reluctantly, not entirely approving of what her mother and her friends had done to Bartholomule. He was a bovine too, after all and he had feelings.

"Come on, Rarity..." Twighlight instructed as she turned to leave.

"Twilight, you know I don't have those views anymore, right? That's just the way things were back then..." Velvet tried. Twilight merely glared at her mother in disapproval before completely leaving her childhood home with an awkward Rarity. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was still pondering over the disturbing sight that she had witnessed at Scootaloo's funeral as she lied awake in her bed that night. She knew that if she tried to tell her older sister about it, that Apple Jack would just dismiss it as nothing more than a grief-induced hallucination.

However, Apple Bloom still felt as if she needed to talk about what she had seen with somepony and maybe Apple Jack telling her that it was just her mind playing tricks on her would be just what she needed to hear.

"Apple Jack?! I need to talk to ya about somethin'!" Apple Bloom called throughout the house as she had left the comfort of her soft, warm bed to search for her older sister. When Apple Bloom had seen no sign of her older sister in the small, cozy, farm house that she shared with her family, the pale-yellow philly decided to search the barn. With everything that had happened over the past, few days, Apple Bloom felt uneasy being exposed to the chilling darkness of the cold, night air.

"Apple Jack?!" Apple Bloom called out once again when she heard the familiar, buzzing sound of the wood-chipper but when Apple Bloom had turned the corner of their family's large, red barn, she was horrified to see Big Mac standing behind Apple Jack while she was currently distracted with the task of shredding logs for mulch. Apple Bloom wanted to scream, she wanted to warn her older sister but she was filled with so much fear at the moment, that she was unable to make a sound. Apple Bloom watched in horror as the crimson colt who was once her beloved, older brother, began to grin a large, menacing grin that unnaturally stretched his jawline. Apple Bloom took notice to the fact that every, single one of Big Mac's teeth were now razor-sharp.

"Noooo!" Apple Bloom was finally able to cry out but she was too late as Big Mac had mule-kicked Apple Jack into the wood-chipper. Apple Bloom's shrieks of terror practically matched up with Apple Jack's wails of agony as blood and chunks of orange fur splattered all over the terrified, pale-yellow philly. When Big Mac had menacingly began to approach Apple Bloom, she finally regained enough strength in her legs to bolt into their family's orchard to escape. Apple Bloom was now crying hysterically at this point as she frantically galloped amongst the forest of apple trees, as fast as her tiny hooves could carry her. Apple Bloom's panicked breathing only increased with each time she heard the horrifying sound of a donkey's braying closing in behind her.

"Somepony help me!" Apple Bloom cried out for help as she galloped into the now, completely-abandoned town of Ponyville. It was late into the night so naturally, everypony was currently asleep, safe within the warm covers of their beds, leaving the poor philly to helplessly fend for herself. A small sense of relief washed over Apple Bloom when she had spotted Sugar Cube Corner on the path, just ahead of her. Maybe Pinkie Pie could help her.

"Pinkie Pie! Pinkie, open up! Hurry!" Apple Bloom frantically shouted as she desperately began to pound on the door with her fore-hooves. Occasionally, the philly would glance over her shoulder at the sound of a donkey's braying as her pounding became more frantic.

"Apple Bloom? What's the matter?" Apple Bloom's silent prayers were answered when Pinkie Pie had thankfully answered the door.

"Oh, Pinkie! It was awful! B-Bartholomule killed Granny Smith a-and my friends a-and he possessed Big Mac and killed Apple Jack!" Apple Bloom explained her situation between hysterical sobs before clinging to Pinkie Pie for comfort.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!

What happened, now?" Pinkie Pie questioned since she was currently unable to understand what the sobbing-philly was desperately trying to say tell her.

"Oh, dear...Sounds like somepony had a terrible nightmare...Maybe you should invite her to join our sleepover so she won't be alone, Pinkie Pie..." Fluttershy spoke up as she entered the lobby of Sugar-Cube Corner but something seemed off about her as her teal eyes almost seemed to be vacant.

"Great idea! The more the merrier, I always say!" Pinkie Pie beamed as she excitedly pulled Apple Bloom into the restaurant that also served as her home.

"But..." Apple Bloom began only to once again be cut off by the excited, pink, Earth pony.

"Well, come on! Me and Fluttershy were just about to braid each other's manes!" She beamed as she used her snout to push the pale-yellow philly toward her bedroom.


End file.
